Israeli athletes who had already been moving around the Paris Games with a security apparatus befitting a head of state can expect heightened protection after the recent assassinations of Hezbollah and Hamas leaders caused security officials to fear for the athletes’ safety.
On Saturday, a rocket from Lebanon hit a soccer field in Majdal Shams, an Arab Druse village in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights. Israel blamed the deadly rocket attack on Hezbollah, which denied responsibility. On Tuesday, an Israeli airstrike killed a Hezbollah commander near Beirut, the Lebanese capital, in retaliation.
The tension in the region intensified on Wednesday morning, when Hamas and Iran accused Israel of assassinating Ismail Haniyeh, one of the most senior Hamas leaders.